The Clark

The weekend of May 10-11 we didn't do anything notable that I recall, even though it was Mother's Day weekend. There was a Mother's Day brunch at the Community Center in Guilford, which we have attended in previous years and have enjoyed very much, but I just didn't feel up for it this time, so we stayed home. I think John and Cynthia came over later in the day. I know the next big thing was Tuesday. J&C had given me a Christmas present of a trip to someplace special, and we finally did it Tuesday: we went to The Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, MA, which turned out to be a spectacular place. I can't believe I've lived here over 50 years and have never gone to The Clark, which is only a 1 1/2-hour drive from here, and a very nice drive at that. The Clark opened in 1955, but was much smaller initially. The big expansion came around 2013, I think. Today it sits on 140 acres, has expansive buildings, huge galleries, as well as smaller ones, higher education facilities, a 300,000-volume art history library, a nice cafe with an outdoor patio, reflecting pool and lovely views. It is an architectural wonder, with the unforgetable feature of huge red-tinged granite blocks forming walls and corridors. Most of all, it has an amazing collection of art - European and American - Monet, Renoir, J.S. Sargeant, Winslow Homer, etc. We saw only a small part of what is on display. You could easily spend a couple of days there. I would love to go back again. I used one of their wheelchairs, which was comfortable, and E, J and C all took turns pushing me. But even so, I was exhausted by the end of the day - exhausted but happy. These snaps of the visitor's brochure give a glimpse of the size and layout of The Clark:

The main facade of The Clark.********************************** And here are some photos I took which give a feel for the building we were in:

The Café,

Just outside the Café.

In the bookstore. ELlen was thrilled to find lots of postcards!

One of the large galleries - mostly Monet

A smaller gallery.